(a) Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a compact-disk (CD) player and, more particularly, to an improvement of a loading mechanism of a CD player for use in a personal computer.
(b) Description of the Related Art:
A conventional CD player such as a CD-ROM (read-only-memory) player, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, has a disk holder or tray 27 which can be pulled out from a disk slot formed in the front panel 14 of a player body or computer body 11 for loading a CD-ROM 12. FIG. 1A shows the CD-ROM player in the pulled-out state of the disk holder 27 while FIG. 1B shows the same in the retracted state of the disk holder 27 wherein the disk slot is closed by a lid 28.
After the disk holder 27 is pulled out from the disk slot, a disk 12 is mounted on the disk holder 27, which is then retracted from the disk slot. In the retracted state of the disk holder 27 with the mounted disk 12, information recorded on the disk 12 is reproduced. In general, the CD-ROM player of this type cannot be used in the upright posture of the disk 12.
Another conventional CD-ROM player, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, has a pair of guide members 29a and 29b for shifting a disk 12 into or out of the disk slot formed in the front panel 14 of a computer body 11. FIGS. 2A and 2B show the CD-ROM player in the pulled-out state and the retracted state, respectively, of the guide members 29a and 29b.
The guide members 29a and 29b have respective guide grooves for holding therein peripheral edge portions of the disk 12 which is inserted to the grooves in the direction normal to the front surface 14 of the computer body 11. The disk 12 is carried by the guide members 29a and 29b into the operating position for the disk 12 to reproduce the information from the disk 12. When the CD-ROM player is reproducing information from the disk 12, the disk slot formed in the front panel 14 of the computer 11 body is closed by a lid 28, as shown in FIG. 2B.
The CD-ROM of FIGS. 2A and 2B has an advantage that it can be used in either upright or laid-down posture of the disk 12, i.e., of the computer body 11. In this configuration, however, a large space must be secured for inserting the disk from the front. In particular, the space between the computer body 11 and a key board (not shown) may limit the arrangement of the computer system. Further, the insertion of the disk 12 into the small width grooves of the guide members 29a and 29b is not easy.